Welcome
to Taiwan Tea Tours/Packages/Trips,& Info

We
arrange private tours and packages to Tea Farms & tasting areas in
Taiwan for individuals, couples & groups of up to 20 persons a time.We
have a pick up and drop-off service from Taichung, Chiayi, Tainan &
Kaohsiung High Speed Rail Stations.High
Speed Railway ( Bullet Train) Info/timetable etc.

Each
tour is different and we are very flexible. On each tour we
try to find new places to visit and improve our understanding
of tea. Feel free to give input and to ask to vivit places along
the way.
"Double room" = 1 double bed (2 persons) , "single
room" = 1 bed (1 person) ,"twin room"= 2 double
beds ( 4 persons),Children aged 2 and under will be charged
a flat rate of NT$1900 ,Children's rates apply after one guest,
paying the single rate, occupies a guest room. You are welcome
to arrive as early as you wish, but we cannot promise that your
accommodations will be ready before 12:30 p.m. Check out time
is 10:00 AM. Reservations mus t be guaranteed by advance deposit
of 100% price of the packages The following information is required
in order to reserve:(guest name, and time for arrival &
departure etc. at train station/airport/ HSR/Bus etc)We will
appreciate it very much if you would notify us of your cancellation,
so that other guests on the waiting list can be accommodated.
About Cancellations:RAIN does not warrant any cancellation!
In case of natural disaster ( i.e. typhoon) cancellations will
be accepted without charge and a full deposit can be refunded
without charge. Click
here to make a reservationtaiwan
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¡E Pick-up from HSR Station Taichung at 9 AM
¡E Drop-off at HSR Station Taichung
¡E Hotel 1 night at Sun Moon Lake
¡E Breakfast
¡E Visit Tea Farms and Shops/Tasting venues in the area
of Choice as well as interesting arts and crafts studios/shops

The tour
will consist of the following:

Day 1 :
Pick up at Taichung High Speed Rail station then drive up to Alishan
stopping at a tea farm and also tea processing center - tea tasting
with traditional tea ceremony. Then drive further up to Ali Shan
to walk the Giant Tea Trail ( Trees over 2000 years old) and there
we can also taste the famous Ali Shan Teas.

We then drive
to Sun Moon Lake , check in at hotel in aboriginal village on
the lake - there you can walk around on your own the evening and
taste tea at various tea shops on your own.

Day 2 :

Visit Wen
Wu Temple on the lake ( look
for pics here ) and the fantastic Chung Tai Monastery.
After that we will drive to Sanyi famous for woodcarvings by the
Hakka People - an ethnic minority in Taiwan. We then go for a
grand final tea ceremony in Taichung City after we drop you off
at the high speed train stn again.

My boyfriend Mike and I had been living in Taipei for
a little over a year before we embarked on our journey with Green Island
Adventures. We had moved to the renegade province shortly after our college
graduation, looking for excitement and adventure. But full-time professional
jobs and the demands of daily life had prevented us from venturing further
than Taipei County. Knowing we’d be leaving Taiwan by mid-autumn
to return to the United States, we were eager to get out and see what
the rest of the country had to offer. That is when we booked our tour
with Eddie, who turned out to be one of the warmest and most accommodating
tour guides we’ve ever had.

Our seven-day private tour began with a scenic drive along
Taiwan’s east coast to
Taroko Gorge. The beauty of
Taroko Gorge lends itself well
to being the subject of many a Taiwanese oil painting, and seeing it up
close—at our own pace—was a real treat. We spent the night
in Hualien, where we perused the jade market, famous for its
rainbow jade. But Eddie advised us to wait on making a purchase,
taking us to a shop a few blocks away that specializes in rainbow jade
and supplies the jade market. Good advice it was indeed! The selection
was fantastic and the prices unbeatable and the quality was good. With
it, we were able to set aside some savings for other uses. While most
tour guides may get commission for taking guests to certain shops, Eddie
simply passes along the perks to his guests.

The next morning we continued our coastal drive, stopping
to sample some of the most delicious rice and sweetest, freshest pineapple
in the world before arriving at the Museum of Prehistory in Taidong. A
few hours later, we were boarding a small airplane for a ten-minute hop
from Taidong toGreen
Island.
Eddie rented us a couple scooters, gave us a lesson on
how to drive them, and then we set off around the island. Among our favorite
sites were the water buffalo lazily bathing just meters from the quiet
road. That evening, we scootered off to Green Island’s natural saltwater
hot springs which, despite the quietude of the rest of the island, was
alive with locals happily splashing and lounging in the many pools.

No trip to Green Island is complete without scuba diving,
so the very next morning we awoke early for a beach-entry diving experience.
Home to the world’s oldest known coral reef, the diving was truly
phenomenal—tropical fish of every color swarmed us as we fed them
with the bread our dive guides had brought along. The other nice thing
was that diving did not preclude us from flying back to Taiwan island
as it would most flights, for the flight simply did not go to a high enough
altitude for their to be decompression concern.

Back on the “mainland”, we headed over the
mountains, through aboriginal villages, to Kenting. Checking into a Balinese
style hotel, we had stepped foot inside a tropical paradise comparable
to what one might expect to see on the Travel Channel. Every detail, from
the exquisite balconied hotel room to the exotic courtyard gardens, was
imported directly from Bali. After checking out Kenting’s bustling
night market, we spent a quiet evening enjoying this lush retreat.

Besides surfing and sun, Kenting is notable for its world-class
aquarium. One can easily spend the whole day viewing the whale sharks,
sunken ship exhibit, and my personal favorite, the penguins. Species of
marine life both native to Taiwan and from afar can be found there, and
whether you’re a young couple, a family with children, or retirees,
there is absolutely something for everyone to enjoy.

After two luxurious evenings in Kenting, we began our
ascent into Alishan, or Mt. Ali. Mike and I are
tea connoisseurs, so we had a special request to see a
tea farm on this mountain famous for its oolong. Like a genie, Eddie granted
our wish and took us into the high mountains, stopping at a little place
with a whole lot going on inside. After sampling the three kinds of tea
produced at this award-winning farm, we toured the facility which was
bumbling with workers processing the tea. A group had just come down from
picking fresh tea leaves from the mountain, and we were invited to help
spread the tea out on tarps to dry.

Many cups of
oolong later, we continued up the mountain to the Alishan visitors’
center. The air was cool and crisp, perfect for light hiking before lunch.
Lucky for us, it just so happened that the mayor of Alishan was dining
in the same restaurant we had wandered into, and before long were enjoying
the hospitality of some of Taiwan’s finest. With full stomachs,
we bid goodbye to our new friends and headed back down the other side
of the mountain. On the way down, we passed a number of interesting sites,
including a pair of rhesus monkeys and mountain roads that had collapsed
in the 9/21 earthquake.

We reached
Sun Moon Lake by sunset, and after enjoying the breathtaking
view from our hotel balcony, we headed down to the hotel spa to enjoy
the water massage jets. In the morning, we took a boat tour around Sun
Moon Lake, making frequent stops around this jade-colored lake to explore
hilltop temples and little villages. Eddie picked us up after our boat
ride to take us to Wenwu Temple, a beautiful—and recently renovated,
thanks to the 9/21 earthquake—temple overlooking the lake. The original
temple was submerged when the Japanese built a dam during their occupation,
so one can only hope that one day scuba diving trips will be offered!

Our next stop was to the majestic Zen Buddhists monastery
in Puli. We were fortunate to be approached by a German nun, who gave
the two of us a guided tour of the grand structure. The monastery is surrounded
by well-kept gardens, featuring a large gong which visitors are encouraged
to, well, gong. Though Buddhists we’re not, the feelings of tranquility
and peace we experienced when visiting the monastery uplifted our spirits
and we left with a positive energy.

Feeling rejuvenated, we made our way to the
Puli winery, another casualty of the 9/21 earthquake. Rebuilt
and reborn, the winery’s museum takes you through hundreds of clay
jars where liquors are distilled from various grains, fruits, and other
organics. This is one museum that is a must-see for Chinglish aficionados!
The downstairs level houses numerous shops selling liquors and foods made
from liquor, but we didn’t have time to stop and sample. We were
off to go paragliding!

Now, I had been paragliding before, but Mike had not,
so today was his day to hit the winds. And the winds were not picking
up, but thanks to the expertise of Yuri, our paragliding instructor, the
two were finally airborne. Onlookers applauded as the two swept past the
mountain, a feat which was nearly impossible for tandem gliders that day.
Half an hour later, they landed in a rice paddy, muddy but laughing.

We lodged the night in Taichung, heading out to nearbyLukang
the next day. As modern as Taipei may be, Lukang is the polar opposite,
with traditional Chinese streets and an old temple untouched by Taiwan’s
turbulent geological activity. This is the place to come to purchase traditional
Chinese clothing, shoes, and painted fans. Eddie took us to a lovely traditional
tea house where we could have sat drinking tea all day had we not had
plans to go toSanyi,
a woodcarving village. The trip to Sanyi was well worth it—the smell
of sandalwood, camphor, and other fragrant woods permeated the town. Slotted
tea trays, highly lacquered pots, and elaborately carved statues are the
specialty of this town, with over a hundred shops lining Sanyi’s
main street.

That ended our tour, and just in time as a typhoon was
blowing into town. We took the high speed rail back to Taipei, and despite
the howling winds and torrential rain outside, the ride remained smooth
and dry.

While Taiwan’s impressive landscape makes for a
fantastic adventure tour, the real gem atGreen
Island Adventuresis the tour guide, Eddie. Hailing from South Africa and with his business
based in Taichung, Eddie is an extremely knowledgeable guide who is willing
to go to great lengths to ensure his guests are nothing but 100% satisfied.
Furthermore, he is probably the most sincere, most compassionate person
I have ever met. So when you book a tour with Eddie, you’re not
just booking an unforgettable experience around Taiwan—you’re
booking a trip with a guy who could easily become a friend for life.

Green Island Adventures will help you organize the perfect
vacation on Taiwan's exquisite and untouched tropical Green Island. Although it
is small, Green Island offers so much including beautiful beaches, snorkeling
and some great scuba diving. Let us introduce you to this little-known paradise
off the south east coast of Taiwan.